CDC seeking fliers on Delta plane with bat

ATLANTA (USA Today) -- As a precaution, federal health officials are trying to contact all 50 passengers aboard a Delta Air Lines flight last week that carried an unwanted flier -- a bat.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today it wants to be sure travelers on Flight 5121 from Madison, Wis., to Atlanta on Aug. 5 did not come in close contact with the bat, which flew around the cabin amid screaming, panicked passengers, AP reports. Bats can carry rabies, though it's not known if the flying mammal had the disease because it escaped after the plane returned to the Madison airport.

Passengers are asked to call 1-866-613-2683.

Investigators have talked to 13 of the 15 passengers who reboarded the plane, and none was bitten or had close enough contact to cause concern. The other 35 passengers transferred to other flights are being sought.